Examining Levels and Factors of Speaking Anxiety among EFL Libyan English Undergraduate Students

Abdalaziz M. Toubot, Goh Hock Seng, Azizah binti Atan Abdullah

Abstract

This study aims at investigating EFL the fourth-year students’ level of speaking anxiety. Also, the study investigates the main three factors (communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation and low self-confidence) that contribute to increasing speaking anxiety among EFL learners. The Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety Scale (FLSAS) has been adapted to collect quantitative data and specifically measure speaking anxiety. The sample of this study was 300 fourth-year English department students at three universities in Libya. The findings of this study revealed that students experienced a moderate to high level of EFL speaking anxiety. Additionally, the findings of the study revealed that the low self-confidence factor received the highest average followed by fear of negative evaluation, and communication apprehension factors.

Debreli, E., &Demirkan, S. (2015). Sources and levels of foreign language speaking anxiety of English as a foreign language university students with regard to language proficiency and gender. International Journal of English Language Education, 4(1), 49-62. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijele.v4i1.8715

Melouah, A. (2013). Foreign language anxiety in EFL speaking classrooms: A case study of first-year LMD students of English at Saad Dahlab University of Blida, Algeria. Arab World English Journal, 4(1), 64-76.

Tanveer, M. (2007). Investigation of the factors that cause language anxiety for ESL/EFL learners in learning speaking skills and the influence it casts on communication in the target language. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Glasgow, United Kingdom.

Thompson, P. (2004). Researching family and social mobility with two eyes: some experiences of the interaction between qualitative and quantitative data. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 7(3), 237-257.

To make sure that you can receive messages from us, please add the journal emails into your e-mail 'safe list'. If you do not receive e-mail in your 'inbox', check your 'bulk mail' or 'junk mail' folders.